Leon – I suspect there’s a great deal of real estate between me and thee, but I do want to be on a creative and energized team when it comes time to solve some of the daunting challenges of a SHTF scenario. While I’m not anxious for a significant infrastructure collapse, (far from fearing it) I can’t help but view it as an opportunity to rise to the issues of the times by designing and building alternative machines to return stability and a new normalcy to people’s lives.
I have nearly forty years experience designing and building prototype machines to solve unique industrial challenges and would love to use that experience to keep the bleak wolf from people’s door in a serious SHTF situation. I don’t have all of the ideas, but if someone can draw it on paper and it doesn’t defy the laws of physics, I can dam well build it. Besides having a fairly up to date fabrication facility, I’ve taken the time to learn and tool-up for pre-industrialized era manufacturing technologies.
My personal challenge is that I’m sixty (it has taken a while to pull it all together) and in another decade my capabilities and knowledge will wane and begin to be lost. At that point, I’ll no longer be any good to people I might otherwise help… sucks. There are plenty of young-bloods out there that have years to burn and lots of energy, but are impotent because they don’t have the knowledge, experience, imagination and patience… the full palette. I’m hoping there’s time to teach and mentor before what I’ve assembled is auctioned off as a dying eclectic old man’s estate… tools, books and wisdom lost for another generation or two.